


Brooding in Umbra

by HarpGuy



Category: Gormenghast Trilogy - Mervyn Peake, Homestuck
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-19
Updated: 2012-10-19
Packaged: 2017-11-16 15:30:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/541016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarpGuy/pseuds/HarpGuy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steerpike awakens to find himself alone in a strange land and decides to make it his own. Meanwhile Dave Strider goes in search of the inhabitant of a newly discovered quest world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brooding in Umbra

You know neither where you are nor how you came to be there. This is not something that you are used to in the slightest, and it makes you enormously uncomfortable; again, something to which you are greatly unused. You have been comfortable and confident in your position ever since you escaped from the kitchens some months earlier, but now... Now you know nothing of your surroundings, and you do not like it at all.

The castle was not only your home but also your domain, its tall, ivy-clad towers and darkened, dusty hallways providing both a refuge and a kingdom for you. You still have some of the great structure, but only some of it. The narrow, rickety-looking tower of mouldering stone which you have claimed as your own is just as it always has been, but the rest of Gormenghast has simply... vanished. The long silhouette of your tower now juts up alone from a matching pinnacle of bare rock which protrudes from the darkness below like a long, stony arm pointing to the roiling clouds of the skies above.

You have only two choices. You can remain in your tower, brooding but secure in the place which you call home, or you can set out to explore your new surroundings. While you may know your way around the tower, you feel that you would quickly tire of life alone there, so you set off to explore. Reaching the edge of the rocky plateau, you begin to climb down into the thick darkness which awaits you below.

***                                                                                                                                         

TG: hey

TG: hey guys

TG: theres a new planet just popped up

TG: i dont even know how but there is

TG: im going to go take a look

TG: guys

TG: are you even listening to me

TG: fuck well im going to see whats up anyway

***

Hours pass. Interminably long hours. You don’t mind though; your grip is strong from months of clambering across the roofs and walls of Gormenghast and the silence and time give you a chance to think at last. You honestly cannot work out how you have ended up here, wherever this mysterious place is. You fell asleep, and when you opened your eyes once more the castle had vanished.

More hours pass, but at last you reach the base of your spire. You look around at your environs. With some relief, you notice that they are very similar to your old home; a maze of crumbling, mossy walls stretches out before you, all dimly lit by a faint, mysterious, sourceless glow. Wasting no time, you climb up to the top of the nearest wall and set out from the monolithic pillar behind you to look for some clue as to where you might be.

Some hours later, you are beginning to tire somewhat; you have been walking for a long time across the narrow, crumbling, treacherous walls. You feel that you should find somewhere safe to rest soon, as you know nothing of what dangers may inhabit this strange place. After a while, you find a single block of stone which protrudes from the ground alone, rising a short way above the walls of this mysterious labyrinthine structure. You climb up it and lie down, stretching yourself across the cold stone slab. Just as your weary eyes are beginning to close, however, you hear something move nearby.

Suddenly alert, you sit up, mind filling with thoughts of what fearsome monsters could be moving around beneath you. You freely admit that you are a fearsome monster yourself, but that does not mean that you can defend yourself from something physically superior to you. Sitting rigidly upright, you wait to see if anything else happens, not allowing yourself to relax until you are sure that it is safe to do so.

Silence. Except for your pounding heart, you can hear nothing at all. But suddenly, there it is again! Just a small scraping noise, as of something scaly and reptilian brushing against the worn stone blocks of the walls that surround you. Breathing slowly and deeply to calm yourself down, you slide silently across your perch and lean over the edge, looking carefully for any signs of life.

There! Something moved, you’re sure of it! Just a small hint of a movement in the shadows below, but there is definitely something there. You perch, hand on sword hilt, crouched motionless like some skeletal predatory gargoyle on the edge of the pillar and waiting for your prey to move into the light. After a while it moves again, the ubiquitous dim glow reflecting off its back. It looks quite small; you think you can deal with it easily. Better to kill it now than wait for it to return with more. Silently drawing your sword from the cane in which it resides, you sink deeper into your crouch, preparing to pounce.

As it shifts again, scales scraping harshly on the stones, you leap from your lofty vantage point, sword held up before you. You land hard, boots smashing loudly into the stone slabs of the floor, and the thing screams. Disconcerted, you lower your sword slightly as the echoes of the shout die out around you. The light level increases slightly, still from no discernible source, and you can see the creature cowering before you slightly more clearly. It is a small, grey, nondescript lizard, and it is standing upright on its hind feet. You feel that nothing should really surprise you about this place any more, but it is still something of a shock just how human the creature seems. You wonder if it can talk. If it can then this whole place could be a lot more interesting than you had thought at first.

You sheathe  your swordstick again and begin to speak. “Good evening” you say, careful to sound as friendly and polite as you possibly can, “can you understand me?”

The lizard peers out from behind its tail and nods slightly. “Good” you say, forcing a slight smile, “I’m not going to hurt you, don’t worry. In fact, I think you might be able to help me out.”

The cowering creature before you straightens out a little, drawing its tail back from its face and staring up at you.  “Really?” it mumbles nervously, “you want help from me?” Its voice is surprisingly clear and coherent for a lizard, you think, beginning to ponder the possibilities opened up by the discovery of the apparent sapience of the animal.

“Are there more of you?” you ask, careful to keep your delight from showing.

“Yes!” responds the lizard, its excitement clearly audible.

“Ah,” you say softly, voice lowering to something approaching a conspiratorial whisper, “would you be willing to introduce me to some of them?”

The lizard nods enthusiastically and, grinning happily, sets off down the dark, winding pathway, pausing only to indicate that you should follow. You do so willingly, considering your situation all the way. This place is no Gormenghast, but if you are unable to get home it will probably suffice. You believe that you can make this dark, rambling maze your new domain, and that you can rise rapidly to a position of dominance over its naive reptilian inhabitants.

After a long walk, the narrow pathway widens out into the largest open space you have seen since your arrival here. Small huts built from the same grey stone as the huge walls that surround you are scattered around the clearing, and other lizards scurry purposefully around between them. It reminds you somewhat of the dwellings of the Bright Carvers that lie beyond the vast outer wall of Gormenghast, only dryer, darker and quieter.

As you reach the centre of the village, the creatures begin to notice you and, abandoning their tasks, stop and stare. With your unconventional appearance you should be used to this by now, but it brings back painful memories.

It can be difficult, growing up in a harsh environment like the kitchens, under a cruel, vindictive man like Abiatha Swelter when you stick out so much. Everyone else learned very quickly to avoid becoming a target, and you tried. You tried so hard, but you never really had a choice. You were marked out as a target for everyone, even among the hundreds of other kitchen boys, from the moment you arrived. You were marked out, and it was never your fault. That sort of upbringing does things to a child. You soon grew to despise them all, but Swelter most of all.

Tearing yourself free from thoughts of unpleasant days long gone and equally vile people long dead, you return your mind to the village full of staring lizards and the task at hand. You lean down to your scaly guide. “Who is in charge here?” you whisper to it, and it points to a slightly larger, more wrinkled specimen who walks nervously over to stand before you. Maintaining your friendly smile, you address the individual reported to be the leader. “Hello there,” you say, “Could you possibly tell me where I am?”

“Of course! This is LOLAS!” it says, voice cracked but imperious sounding. For a lizard, that is.

“LOLAS?” you respond, sure to keep the distaste from your voice. You dislike this creature more and more by the second. You have a natural dislike of anybody in a position of authority but you. Especially those who you believe do not deserve their elevated position from where they can rule over everyone else. Of course, you believe that nobody besides you is ever really deserving of power.

“Yes! The Land of Labyrinths and Shade! Did you not know that?”

“No. I was unaware of that fact,” you reply, teeth gritted. It is becoming clear to you that this particular lizard will be more trouble than he is worth. That, however, is not a problem. You have become very good at dealing with such annoyances.

***

TG: hey im here now

TG: its pretty grim down on the surface

TG: all dark and gloomy and shit like that

TG: also it has walls

TG: lots of walls

TG: fucking walls everywhere

TG: seriously its like a wall farm down here

TG: its going to take forever to find whoever the fuck this place belongs to

***

Time passes. You hardly have to put in any effort at all to become a powerful figure in the primitive society of these foolish reptiles. They seem to be naturally subservient, much like many of the people you remember from Gormenghast. You feel that it is almost a shame really – part of the fun was always the challenge. Oh well, this is all you have. It will have to do. There is, of course, still the matter of that chief to deal with. The creature appears to be the only one who distrusts you, constantly attempting to loosen your ever-tightening grip on the village.

You are increasingly spending your time wandering further and further afield, exploring the vast network of corridors that seem to stretch endlessly around the entire planet. You find it a very relaxing experience, just walking along between the walls, running your long hands softly over the old, cold stones from which everything is built. It is almost like being back in certain lost parts of the castle once more – an experience which you have come to long for. This place may be becoming your kingdom, but there is no challenge to it and no purpose to it other than power for its own sake. You crave a feeling of real importance; a feeling of making a difference. Back home you could always claim to be motivated by social justice. Sometimes you even believed that yourself. Here, however, there seems to be no aim to the lives of the inhabitants; they have no ambitions, no goals, they never even seem to argue. For all their apparent sapience, they lack the basic human flaws which you are so dependent on to keep your mind moving. Fortunately, you can stave off the boredom to some extent by exploring and mentally mapping your environs, but even this only works to a limited extent. You inevitably find your thoughts drifting back to dwell on your old life in Gormenghast. Some of the memories that surface are pleasant; the feeling of the first time you climbed to the very top of the castle and stood in the wind and the sun, free at last. Some, however, are less welcome, but you block those from your mind, leaving nothing but a feeling of loathing.

Sometimes, to clear your mind, you climb to the top of the walls and run, your feet nimbly keeping your balance as you sprint above the maze, lank hair blowing out behind you. You love the feeling of freedom, of being above everybody else and able to look down on their petty, insignificant lives.

You miss human company, with all its flaws and rivalries, its emotions and its fears. You miss having competition; having somebody INTERESTING.

***

: fuck its dark down here

TG: and grey

TG: dark and grey

TG: boring as hell

TG: also its a fucking maze

TG: so glad I can fly right now

TG: seriously its all grey

TG: even the consorts are grey

TG: i hope the guys not grey

TG: that would be dull

TG: hed better be worth all this effort im putting in

TG: flying around this stupid shithole of a planet

***

It is one of those running days when you first see him. As you sprint across the walls, letting the rhythm of your feet drown out the darker thoughts, you see a flash of red, bright in the darkness up ahead. You have almost forgotten what bright colours look like in this endless monochrome wilderness, and the sight throws you. Losing your balance, you tumble from the wall, landing hard and painfully on the cold stones below. You pick yourself up and brush the dust from your jacket, but by the time you get back to your earlier height the colour has gone; the labyrinth has returned to its old dusty grey.

You stop running for the day at that point and wander at ground level instead, brooding over what it may have been that you saw. A person? An animal? Did you even see anything at all? Might you be going mad, stuck here with no intelligent company? Someone like you needs mental stimulation; something which you feel is somewhat lacking here.

By the next time you see him you have almost completely convinced yourself that you merely imagined the colour. You set off for another run, but your heart is not really in it. All you want to do is sit in a dark corner and sulk, but you know that would not be good for your mental health. Just as you are beginning to distract yourself from how you feel, however, you see it again. Movement and colour. You increase your speed in an attempt to catch up with whatever it is, but all you manage to see before it darts into the sky and out of sight is a silhouette. A human silhouette. Heart pounding from the exertion and the excitement, you stop and sit down on the wall, stretching your long legs out before you. 

You are not alone on this planet. The realisation rushes through you, energising and thrilling you. Someone else is also here, possibly as bored as you. As lonely as you. The idea of having real stimulation, maybe even competition, delights you. But then you realise that he almost certainly failed to notice you, and the tedium of your situation comes crashing back down on you.

For the next few days your expeditions are faster and further, covering as much ground as possible in the hope of meeting him, but with no luck. The skies remain resolutely dark, no crimson figure darting down from the heavens to greet you. Your newfound energy begins to dissipate, and your dreams of meeting the mysterious figure fade back into listless longing and regret.

You begin to move on, returning your attention to your social climbing. Soon there are no obstacles left and you rise to a position of dominance over the entire village, but it does not please you. It feels futile and boring.

One day, though, you are standing on top of one of the higher pillars of rock which jut up above the rest, staring up at the sky, exultant in your freedom, when you see him again. This time he does not vanish. He spots you, silhouetted pale against the darkness, and slowly descends to hover before you.

The two of you stand facing each other, staring and not saying a word. He bobs slightly, floating in front of you, and you can see clearly what he looks like for the first time. He wears a red costume with a cloak, hood pushed back to expose his face. His hair and skin are as pale as yours, which surprises you; you have never before met anyone who looks even a little like you. His eyes, however, are obscured by a pair of oddly styled, darkened glasses. This leads you to suspect that he hides them because, like yours, they are unusually coloured. Your delight in finally seeing another human being is marred slightly by the thought that he conceals his oddities, hiding behind his glasses, but you push that thought to one side and focus on the possibilities that his arrival opens up.

After a short, awkward silence, he is the first to speak. “Hey,” he says quietly.

You raise an eyebrow, but are careful to maintain a mask of friendly politeness. “Good morning,” you reply.

“Is it even morning? How can you tell?” he asks, half smiling. You do not respond to this, and he continues, “So. Um. What’s your name?”

“Steerpike.”

“Hey. I’m Dave.”

“Nice to meet you, Dave.”

Another pause.

“So, you been here long?”

“Yes. Have you?”

“A while. And let me say, it’s fucking boring here. How’ve you managed to survive?”

“I have my ways. Tell me, are there other people here or is it just you and these accursed lizards?”

You notice that he hesitates slightly before answering. “Here?” he says slowly, “Just me. Me and those weird grey guys. And you of course.”

“How did you get here?” you ask, probing to see if anything gives behind the impassive mask of his face.

“Swam. How d’you think I got here? It’s not like I can fly or anything.”

You are beginning to like him more than you expected; you feel that you have something in common, even if you show it differently. He has the same sort of guarded, cautious nature as you, but uses his shades and words to cover up how he feels inside; a sort of sarcastic armour. You, however, prefer to hide it behind a layer of energy and charm, releasing your feelings through scheming and manipulation. Of course, you still do not trust him – he is obviously keeping something from you, but you believe that if you can manage to ingratiate yourself with him you might just be able to break through his defences and find out what it is he is hiding.

Allowing a very slight smile to creep across your face, you respond, raising an eyebrow in mock surprise. “I must say, Dave, I am hugely impressed by your ability to swim through the air. And you have remained completely dry! Why, you must be a true expert.”

He flashes a quick grin, his pleasure at your response momentarily breaking through his calm, detached demeanour. “Yeah,” he says, “I’m pretty fucking amazing at it, really. It’s a special talent of mine. Anyway, what have you been doing with yourself since you got here?”

You are about to respond when a creature clambers over the edge of the wall on which you stand. You don’t recognise it; some sort of small, round-headed thing with sharp looking teeth. Dave sighs and kicks out, sending the thing flying. You look quizzically at him, and he nods in the direction the creature flew in. “Just an imp,” he says, “You mean you’ve never run into one before?”

You shake your head, and he looks a little surprised. “They’re pretty crap really. Don’t worry about ‘em. Anyway, where were we before that rude little bastard interrupted us?”

“I believe you had asked me about my occupation since arriving here. It’s primarily been exploration, so nothing exceptionally thrilling. Tell me more about yourself, please. Where did you come here from?”

“Long story. You don’t want to hear it all, believe me.”

“No, no. We have plenty of time. Please, do continue. Tell me about it,” you say, kicking another imp from the platform and stamping on the hands of a second.

“If you insist. I flew here from a meteor. In space. Space is fucking boring though – almost as crap as here.”

“Oh? And are there other people on this meteor to make it less boring? If not, you must be practically suicidal. I had better keep an eye on you!”

He pauses for a while before answering. “Yes,” he says at great length, “there are a few of us. I – Behind you!”

You spin around to see what has startled him so much. A large, tusked head stares back at you. You whip your sword out and run it through.  “What was that?” you ask, sheathing your sword again, “Should I be any more worried by those?”

“Ogre,” Dave replies, “and no, not much more. They can be a bit difficult if they gang up on you, but you can probably handle ‘em.”

You sigh inwardly. It seems impossible to get through to him. You wish you could think of a way to gain his trust and interest properly. As you return your eyes to him, however, you realise that, even through his shades, it is obvious that he is staring at something behind you. As you turn to see what’s behind you, he lets his breath out in a low whistle. Your mouth drops open in surprise as you take in the vast size of the monster that approaches. “Do I take it that those things are a little more unusual?” you ask.

“Jesus fuck that’s big,” he breathes. You slowly draw your sword and stare at him. He looks back and nods, pulling out his own blade. You both smile a little and turn back to the creature, weapons raised.


End file.
